Marcus Miller 2
Playing examples: Marcus Miller
In the style of…Marcus Miller, Lick 1
This first example showcases Marcus’ tight syncopated slap style. What makes him stand out from the crowd is the use of ornamentation and articulation. When soloing, Marcus often uses contrasting question and answer phrases, or sets up a basic riff and answers with a fill every 2 or 4 bars.
The first two bars contain a pretty straightforward slap figure but check how, on the third bar, Marcus uses both his first and second fingers to pop, allowing him to easily and fluidly articulate those fast triplet notes.
This lick ends with a great example of Marcus adding expression and groove to a fill by sliding slapped and popped octaves while sustaining notes – a technique that almost creates the illusion of 2 basses playing at once.
Listen to me playing the bass part.
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In the style of…Marcus Miller, Lick 2
Marcus often mentions vocalists when he talks about his approach to phrasing. The fluid execution of this line containing slides and slurs, adds an expressive vocal quality to a great lick.
Phrase 1: We start the lick with a pickup on the last 16th of beat 4 and use double thumbing for these fast repeated notes. In bar 2, check the combination of hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. It’s important that your timing on this phrase is rock solid – Marcus’ sense of groove always stays constant, regardless of the technique or the kind of idea that he’s playing.
Phrase 2: We begin with a quick hammered grace note (F up to G), then using a little double thumbing, we move across strings, before playing more slurred notes on the A & E strings. The phrase finishes with an open string / hammered F note and a nice 8th note rest to create a little ‘breath’ between the phrases.
Phrase 3: This uses a sliding motif that sounds quite fast, but really only involves slapping 8th notes – it’s keeping the slides grooving and in time that’s really tricky here. Each starts on either the second or fourth 16th note and this kind of syncopation can be tricky to nail.
Phrase 4: A fast, bluesly legato lick followed by 2 note pull off phrases lead us down to the A string. The final lick is a really tasty phrase using a slap, two finger popping and another slap to create a very fluid, smooth sounding figure. It requires very precise co-ordination, but sounds very cool if you can make it groove.
Listen to me playing the bass part.
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Here’s the backing, slowed down, for you to practice to.
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In the style of…Marcus Miller, Lick 3
One feature of everything Marcus does is an unerring sense of rhythm, pulse and groove. Most bass players are comfortable slapping in only a few keys and very few can groove confidently in a time signature other than 4/4. This lick features an afro-funk 6/8 feel, but still maintains a very steady, flowing groove. Physically, it’s not particularly hard to play but it demands a knowledge of African grooves in order to bring rhythmic confidence and authority in the same way Marcus would.
Ex.3
Listen to me playing the bass part.
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Here’s the backing, slowed down, for you to practice to.
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In the style of…Marcus Miller, Lick 4
This lick showcases a more old school groove sensibility and shows that Marcus can still exude feel and groove whilst playing a very understated part. Rest the heel of your palm over the strings just ahead of the bridge to create a fat muted sound. Pluck quite hard and keep those notes with a dot over them nice and short.
Listen to me playing the bass part.
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Here’s the backing, slowed down, for you to practice to.
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Here’s the backing, up to speed.
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In the style of…Marcus Miller, Lick 5
This final lick uses a number of Miller traits.
Firstly, the hard plucking technique – with low enough action, you should really get some grind as the strings rattle on the frets. It can sound very similar to slapping and popping, particularly on the D and G strings.
Next, check the progression of phrases. Across 4 bars, Marcus plays: Phrase 1: A straightforward E min pentatonic lick. Phrase 2: This phrase starts with a rest, to displace the idea (starting it on somewhere other than the expected beat one) and uses a simple repeated 4 note motif played quickly. (This type of lick is also very typical of Stanley Clarke) The motif continues over the barline into bar 3 and ends with a hammer-on to a high B note. Phrase 3: Marcus plucks an already-bent Bb note and releases it back down to A, before resolving the phrase back to the root note, E.
Often, soloists would use 2 or 4 phrases across 4 bars, but check how Marcus delays and then extends the middle phrase into bar 3 to build tension, which is finally resolved in the final bar
Listen to me playing the bass part.
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Here’s the backing, slowed down, for you to practice to.
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Here’s the backing, up to speed.
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